Internal combustion engines, particularly those used for industrial, agricultural and commercial use have had to address issues of evermore stringent emissions requirements while still maintaining durability and efficiency that operators have come to expect with this type of engine. In the pursuit of reduced emissions, many engines are now provided with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems. These systems circulate a portion of the products of combustion back to the intake of the engine for reducing combustion temperatures and therefore the production of nitrous oxides. While the systems of this type appropriately reduce oxides of nitrogen, they generate other technical problems that must be solved.
One particular problem is the potential for formation of liquid condensation in the intake leading to the engine. Frequently, the condensate has acidic products in it which can cause increased wear and/or corrosion of engine intake componentry. The problem is particularly acute when dealing with engines having low pressure EGR, i.e., EGR passing to the intake of the engine from a point in the system downstream of any turbocharger turbine connected to the engine. Running an engine with natural gas as a fuel also produces increased moisture in the EGR fluid.
When EGR fluid is passed through a charge air cooler, the reduction in temperature associated with cooling of the charge to increase its density may under certain circumstances reduce the temperature of the fluid below the dew point which causes the liquid to condense from the fluid stream. As stated previously, this condensation has an adverse affect on the system leading up to and including the engine combustion chamber.
Accordingly there exists a need in the art for an effective way to minimize, if not eliminate, condensation in the intake of an internal combustion engine system.